The history of ArmA 3 takes place in 2035 in the heart of the Mediterranean region, and more specifically on the Greek islands of Altis and Stratis. And we are not talking about vulgar bits of land, since Altis is spread over an area of 270 km² to carry out its military operations, while Stratis measures only 20 km². What easily support the comparison with GTA 5 in terms of explorable areas, and justify the approximately 35 GB required to install the game. Once you arrive on Altis, the first thing that strikes you is the graphic quality of ArmA 3. The landscape is truly splendid, the play of light is to die for, and the weather effects are stunningly credible, especially since they have a real impact on the progress of missions. The display distance is also remarkable, with more than 20 km of terrain sliding down before your eyes without the slightest aliasing, as long as you have a graphics card that is not too old. Nothing to say either with regard to the neat textures and the topography carried out with an almost sickly meticulousness. Even the seabed is magnificent, although it's not really the show's business. In short, you will have understood, the realization of the game sounds like a real artistic and technical lesson, and it is clear that Bohemia Interactive has pampered the new version of its graphics engine Real Virtuality. The ragdoll is much more realistic than before, the animation of the characters has gained in finesse, and the impacts left by the bullets are done with precision. As for the explosions, they are also more worked with a blast which pushes back the vehicles and the soldiers in a very convincing way. Another great success of the title: its sound environment which immediately immerses the player in the fighting. Bullets can be heard whistling, which gives an indication of where the shots are coming from. And the best part is that the optimization is there.
In short, you will have understood it, the realization of the game sounds like a real artistic and technical lesson, and we can see that Bohemia Interactive has pampered the new version of its graphics engine Real Virtuality."
Indeed, the game runs smoothly with the recommended graphics card, and gives its full potential with a barely better model. Clearly, ArmA 3 no longer justifies the purchase of a Geforce GTX or a state-of-the-art Radeon HD, and this is rather good news for the wallet. Always on the positive side, we can also add that the stability problems have been completely corrected, thanks to the first patches released. If it happened that the game crashes in the middle of the game a few days after its release, these inconveniences are no more than a distant memory even if certain bugs are still present; something that can be described as logical with maps of this size. Despite all these good points, ArmA 3 can still be improved and continues to have a few flaws that we thought had disappeared. Physics, despite being heavily improved, still looks angry with vehicles. Thus, we will be able to observe more than doubtful vehicle behavior, whether it is an armored transport vehicle taking off like a rally car when crossing a ridge, or a helicopter bouncing after an impact in the decor. Enough to ruin the morale of fans of ultra realistic war simulations. If the AI has also been overhauled, transforming the acid junkies of previous opuses into effective soldiers with a good reading of the battlefield, and almost intelligent reactions, things go wrong when they find themselves at the controls of 'a machine. We also suspect the developers of the studio to have emerged from the old bots, as their behavior is sorely lacking in meaning. Big pathfinding problems, non-existent initiatives, misunderstood orders, the list is long. That said, it should be noted that these shortcomings depend above all on the way in which a mission is going to be approached. We comfort each other as best we can.
Mess with the best, die like the rest
In terms of content, ArmA 3 is not opulent, the single player being quite anecdotal and the campaign mode not yet available. For the moment therefore, only four modes are present. First there is the "Challenge" mode which is similar to a tutorial and will test our shooting skills through 10 training courses; all under the sharp supervision of an instructor. A good way to understand the different commands of the game which are, it must be admitted, quite complex. The "Showcase" mode, meanwhile, has 12 single-player missions, each focusing on a particular aspect of the game's gameplay. This is where you learn to handle the different types of vehicles, or to carry out various missions. , just to familiarize yourself with the very imposing arsenal of the game. Lasting from 45 minutes to an hour, each of these missions is scripted and allows you to put into practice the lessons learned in the "Challenge" mode, stress in more. Very well done, these missions are absolutely not daunting, and even once the game is well in hand, you find yourself doing them again, trying to suffer no loss. The "Showcase" mode is also an opportunity to get to know the whole underwater interface of the game, and the infiltration system which has progressed a lot. Besides, we loved the idea of being able to enter through the waters before neutralizing a guard, stripping him of his uniform and continuing the mission. In the same vein, the ground troops will benefit from a whole arsenal to remain as discreet as possible, like the reconnaissance drones which work wonders in multiplayer. Too bad this one doesn't do originality with Capture the Flag or even Deathmatch.
If the AI has also been overhauled, transforming the acid junkies of previous opuses into effective soldiers with a good reading of the battlefield, and almost intelligent reactions, things go wrong when they find themselves at the controls of 'a machine."
We will therefore have to arm ourselves with a little patience before being able to vary the pleasures, the first episode (Survive, which will be followed by Adapt and Win) of the single player campaign not being planned before the beginning of October. But should we conclude that there is nothing to do in ArmA 3, for lack of content? Not at all, the game showing a monstrous richness thanks to its community. Indeed, ArmA 3 integrates directly into its menu the Steam Workshop functionality and the mission editor, which allow in a few seconds to have access to a mountain of content already put online by fans. Of course, the creative side is not left out since all the necessary tools are included in the game, just to facilitate the posting of its own missions. Regarding the gameplay, ArmA 3 remains faithful to the guideline of the series by offering a fairly complex handling. Those who are already struggling with Call of Duty can already forget the Bohemia Interactive series, the progression curve is so steep. Claiming an uncompromising elitism, the game imposes a complexity that can quickly prove disarming and repel the less daring. But once the delicate game system has been tamed, the possibilities offered by the title in terms of immersion or freedom simply flirt with infinity. For example, a classic FPS offers three postures: standing, crouching, lying down. In ArmA 3, no less than 9 intermediate positions are available, so as not to leave one pixel more than necessary before firing. It will be the same for almost all possible actions, each key or action having its variants with shift or ctrl. An opaque and daunting system at first sight, which turns out to be very intuitive after a certain number of hours spent on the title.
SNIPER
As we have already said, there is no need to worry about realism. The physics engine strains the player's shooting skills, especially when the shooting distance begins to seriously increase. If between 300 and 500 meters, a consideration of the bullet drop will suffice, for long distance shooting with a sniper rifle, it will be necessary to take into account the wind, the gravity and many other factors to achieve the perfect shot; the adjustment of the bezel being moreover brought to the level of an art where some are past masters on multi servers. As usual, any lack of cohesion or any hint of heroism will end in a quick death, most often with a single bullet. The immersion is total, and the level of play required by the title is such that only ArmA 3 can be so satisfying when you successfully complete a difficult mission. Finally, be aware that the four difficulty levels are very finely configurable, which allows you to adapt the gaming experience according to your level and your desires at the time.
